Democrats Seek to Bar Ohio Anti-Union Law

Ohio Senate Democrats want to change the state’s constitution so stop Republicans from reintroducing all or part of the recently defeated collective bargaining law.

The law, Senate Bill 5, was defeated in a referendum vote last week, leading the Democrats to say they will propose an amendment to the state constitution that will forbid lawmakers from passing laws “that are identical or substantially similar” to any rejected law, said the Cleveland Plain-Dealer.

State Senate Democratic leader Capri Cafaro said the legislation isn’t just meant to protect the outcome of Tuesday’s election, when voters repealed the law that would have restricted Ohio public workers’ collective-bargaining power.

“It’s not about protecting the outcome,” said Cafaro. “It’s about protecting the will of the people.”

Republican lawmakers have said they are considering re-introducing popular parts of the bill, including a requirement that public workers pay at least 15 percent of their healthcare costs.